The Binding (24 page)

I see the speed y flashes of Mellis and Alorn as they take over. The assassins are no match for them, but I know Alorn has used much of his energy on the wizard and Mellis is still recovering from his earlier attack.
It’s a small advantage for the assassins, but still an advantage.

“Before I kill you, Prince Tharin, I’ve a message for you from my employ er,” says Lado, breathing hard.

“I don’t need to hear anything Lucas has to say,” I answer, already knowing that Lucas is dead. I slowly circle to the right.

Lado follows suit, circling to the left saying, “Ha! That lapdog can’t afford me! He’s just a pawn in this game, or haven’t you figured that one out yet, Prince?”

I stand still, straightening as I ask, “Then who, Lado? Who sent you, if you’re not here for the bounty?”

“The bounty isn’t just for you. It’s for your brother and the princess, as well. It’s all or nothing, and since I don’t plan on letting you out of here alive, I guess I’ll just have to settle for the bounty on your brother and the princess alone . Besides,” she continues still in a low stance, “my employer has given me a very specific task .”

“And what’s that?” I ask not moving.

“I have the honor of escorting my employer’s new wife back to him.”

I look at her curiously asking, “What wife?”

She snarls a laugh at me answering, “The Princess Lilianethia.”

Tazo comes alive . T
he blade is hot and seems to be on fire. My emotions have seeped into the blade, my anger igniting it. I watch as Lado’s eyes widen at the wak en ing of Tazo both with greed and fear. I see her shift to her left, but with light ning speed I cut her off and Tazo cuts across her chest with ease. The wound isn’t fatal, but she screams as the cut burns through her. She staggers to the right and spins out of reach, but I’m there in an in stant cutting her off once again. S
he comes up short , shock ed to see me there as if appearing out of thin air. I strike out with an upward swing, but at the last second turn the blade inward using the butt of the hilt to knock her down hard . She reminds me she’s a trained assassin as s he hits the ground and rolls out quickly, coming up in a low crouch. S
he’s bleeding from an open cut on her upper cheek where I hit her. Three more kw olics fly at me and are easily deflected off of Tazo. From within my coat , I shoot out a Shadiko dagger that buries itself into the assassin ’
s shoulder. Sh e screams as she falls backward , holding out her remaining blade at me with her good arm, trying to fend me off.

The Sidhe, above all else, value life. For us, there is no joy in taking a life, any life, and we lose something of ourselves in the process of doing so…each and every time. For the Sidhe, taking a life is the ultimate sin, especially without thought or reason.
It’s why my father strives so hard for peace and harmony among the c lans. War is something we aim to avoid, but it’s also unavoidable. As unavoidable as the sin I’m about to commit.

I stalk Lado as she tries to gain her feet. With surprising speed , she kicks out at my ankle, but once again I easily lift up my foot to evade the attack . It’s all she needs to get back up. With her wounded shoulder hanging uselessly at her side, she holds her second blade before her, keeping it between us as she backs away slowly.

I match her step for step , and as I approach I swear an oath to her, “You will never live to lay a hand on Lilianethia.”

Her face went from fear to fury and she charges me with speed. At the last second I side step her as I swing Tazo up, coming down and cutting Lado’s blade hand at the wrist. She falls to her knees screaming.
Ignoring her screams of pain, I walk up to her, my blade now on fire, ready to make the final blow.
I’m only able to take two steps before realizing that Alorn is standing before me, cutting me off from the assassin.

“No,
c ousin,” he says quietly.

From behind me, someone places a hand on my shoulder. Mellis says just as quietly, “We won’t let her or anyone else take Lily from you.”

The blood red of Tazo slowly cools and turns black as the rage inside me seeps out, leaving me breathless and weak.

From behind Alorn, Lado laughs. At first, it starts out low and then it gradually grows louder, ending in a high hysterical pitch. Her face twists and deforms as if in pain, her eyes wide with fear and on the verge of insanity. The same type of laughter comes from the four assassins scattered around the room and the young wizard at the entrance. Like Lado, they slowly start to rise. The air around us tingles . I m mediately Mellis and Alorn pull into me and we face outward, our backs against each other as we stand in the middle of the room. Mareck and Cessa are up now and they move quickly to join our circle, leaving Golug and Tonug where they lay. I insta ntly generate a shield around us .

All six bodies continue to rise until they hang in midair as their insane laughter fill s the room.
Cessa gives a low grow l , nervously stepping back, the loud noise making her uncomfortable. Suddenly, they begin to spin. Like the laughter, slowly at first and then pi cking up in momentum until they a re nothing b ut blurs.

It’s
Lado who comes to a sudden stop, hanging before us with her head falling forward, her arms and legs still twisting from side to side. We watch as blood drips down from her hidden face ; the blood loud ly hits the floor in the still room. Then the laughter again, but this time it’s not Lado’s voice that laughs at us.
It’s definitely masculine and familiar.

“Prince Tharin,” calls the voice as if from a distance.

“Lucas, y
ou coward.
Sending a child and assassins, why don’t you come for me yourself?” I respond in a deadly voice, my anger still simmering below the surface.

“Ah, Prince, you know as well as I that Lucas no longer exists. And, it’s not you that I’m after,” he pauses before continuing, “I want Lilianethia.”

“I’ll kill you first.” Tazo instantly comes to life in my hand.

“Calm yourself, c ousin. We need information.”
It’s Alorn, his voice like cool water in my heated head. I take a breath to steady myself , and Tazo once again dims .

The laughter
returns and suddenly all I can think of is getting back to Lily. Alorn is right. I can’t give way to my feelings. I need to concentrate on the voice to learn more of what he wants.

“Who are you
?
” I ask, relaxing my stance.

He laughs quietly as he says, “Who am I? You already know who I am, Tharin, you just don’t want to see the truth.”

I stay quiet, waiting for the voice to reveal more of himself.

“We both know that Thilthen is a fool to believe the c lans can remain in peace. He thinks Lilianethia will make that happen by marrying you, but we both know that won’t happen, don’t we? You think you can keep her, to protect her, but I’ve seen her future, Tharin,” his voice grows insolent and Tazo grows brighter. Again, I steady my emotions as he goes on, “
Her future is either with me, or lying dead next to your lifeless body.”

Before I can react, a blade slices Lado’s body from her shoulder to her waist. She falls to the ground, cutting off communication. Instantly the other bodies fall, as well. Mareck stands over Lado, sword in hand , breathing heavily.

“He talks too much,” she says looking down at the dead assassin. She turns slightly to look me in the eye, “I don’t know who that fool was, but if war is what he wants, the Ogre Nation will be there when you need us, Prince Tharin of the Oak Clan.”

*

An
hour later we received word that Tharin and the others were on their way back from their meeting with the ogre. Phoris and Tolan received the message and we were told we would be leaving Las Vegas upon their return. I didn’t like the sound of concern in Tolan’s voice when he relayed the message. It made me nervous that both of them kept quiet , leaving us wonderi ng what had happened to make this departure more desperate than before .

As I wait in the SUV with Phoris, my thoughts are on Tharin. Did the meeting go bad ly? Is he hurt, and if so, how badly?
I stress over the same thoughts again and again.

I look out
of the window at the oak, now standing as it did when we first arrived.
I lean forward noticing for the first time that somehow it looks different.
The branches seem more skeletal and hanging lower than I remember ed . There seem s to be more dried and crumbling leaves , on the ground floor than on the branches.

Next to me
Phoris says, “Asi is letting the last of her hold on the tree go. By the time we leave, all the leaves will have fallen and the trunk and branches will turn into empty husks . All creatures living in and around the young oak since she was a sapling will be gone soon, looking for new homes.”

“Is it like this for all trees in this world?” I ask quietly.

“No, Lily. Have you not been to the Redwood Forest ? Or visit ed the dense woods of Mount Fuji ? Or trek ked through the wilds of Russia ? Walk ed through the forests of Brazil ?”
h e asks gently as I shake my head to each of his questions.

“I’ve never left San Diego until now,” I reply.

“Well then,
you’ve been to Balboa Park , haven’t you?”

I smile nodding, “Ye ah, I have, many times. Really?
Balboa Park ?”

“Yes, really. I’ve walked through that park many times on past visits and the trees seem to be happy there. They’re taken very good care of and I know the head groundskeeper who has been responsible for the upkeep of the park for many years now. He’s an older man name d Alan. He has a team that works under him and he loves his work. I believe because he does care , the trees are well and happy . We’ve become good friends and have been so for years. He calls me when he has a particular problem with any of the plant life in the park, or for his own personal garden.”

“He calls you? Like, you know, with his mind?” I ask surprise d .

He looks at me strangely and says slowly, “No. He calls me on my cell.”

“Oh,” I reply, feeling a little foolish. “So, you’ve been there many times before?” I ask, a little distracted by this fact.
I’m curious that he would be in San Diego at all before now.

“Yes. We’re there every year to check on you and Lucas .
”
T
hen realizing what he said, he quickly moves on by saying, “We all have, except for Tharin. He prefers to stay in Velesi, especially after he graduated and return ed home from his time going to school here.”

“Tharin went to school here?” I ask a little surprised.

“Yes. He and Tolan went to the University of North Carolina . He only agreed to go because my uncle and John Michaels insisted they learn the ways of man and be educated in their ways .”

“You
, you knew my father?” I ask.

“Yes, Lily, I did. He was a great man, and a good friend to my uncle,” he answers quietly.

I turn to look back out the window at the oak tree saying, “I wouldn’t know, Phoris.
I’ve never met him.”

Phoris sits back and says, “But you have, Lily. The day you were born, he took you from your mother’s bedside and rode across the realm from the Willow Clan until he reached the Oak Clan. When he arrived, he marched into my uncle’s throne room and demanded that he proclaim your birthday a Velesi h oliday. Your father harassed my poor uncle for a full hour, all the while holding you in his arms, proudly showing you off until my uncle relented and promised he would give it considerable thought.”

Phoris had my full attention as he talks of a man I ’ve never known , but who obviously loved me.

“The day your mother was assassinated, your father grieved , but only for a moment as his thoughts were on the safety of his children. He had to get you and Lucas out of Velesi until he found out who the assassin was. I don’t think to this day he’s given himself a chance to grieve.”

“What do you mean? Are you saying my father is alive?”

Phoris turns to me hesitating before answering, “I don’t know, Lily. When he came back from delivering you and Lucas to his brother, he disappeared somewhere in the realm. For a while, my u ncle sent out his personal body guards in intervals searching for your father, wanting to give him whatever assistance he might need. After months of searching, each of his body guards returned with no news of his whereabouts.”

“So…how did he end up in Velesi?”

“Five years before your birth, a portal was opened to this world by someone other than a member o f a royal family. A Caller, s omeone who knew the ways of the summoning.”

“Summoning?”

“Yes, it’s the calling to open the doorway between our two worlds. Every clan has a Caller who passes the teachings of summoning from one generation to the next. In our clan, my family line carries that honor.”

“So, who opened the portal?”

“We don’t know. It was discovered that the portal was opened by means of a dark summoning. A calling used by demons and because of that, we had no way of knowing how to close it. By then, a man who worked for your government came through it. That man was your father. The breach was within the Willow Clan’s region, that’s how he met your mother. After some convincing by your father, the two worked together to find out who was behind the opening. They were able to find and capture a group of men and Sidhe working together, but none of them were of royal blood , nor did they know how to perform a summoning.”